It's
the day before the first congressional election of 1998, and California
media consultant Jackie Breedlove has her work cut out for her.
She's never had a client lose an election, but now she's facing more
than just an opposing candidate. Outside groups are flooding the airwaves,
pushing their own agendas and trying to alter the outcome of this special
election. How Breedlove tries to outflank this controversial new trend
is one of several scenes captured in THE 30-SECOND CANDIDATE,
a new one-hour documentary adventure into the world of political advertising.

From
California to south Georgia to small-town elections in the Midwest, the
30-second TV spot now dominates American politics. THE 30-SECOND CANDIDATE
explores the evolution of this political art form, its growth and some
possible options for reform. THE 30-SECOND CANDIDATE traces the
history of the political TV ad,from its beginning during the 1952 presidential
campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower through the last presidential campaign
of 1996.

Robert
Squier

Commentators
include Robert Squier, who put together President Clinton's advertising
campaign in 1996, and Alex Castellanos, who played the same role
for Republican challenger Bob Dole.

Alex
Castellanos

Kathleen
Hall Jamieson

Kathleen
Hall Jamieson, Dean of the Annenberg School
for Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jeff Greenfield
of CNN add their observations and help dissect ad techniques.

Jeff
Greenfield

The
program also follows all three candidates in California's recent Democratic
primary for governor, in which one contender, Al Checchi, spent $40 million
-- and lost. The documentary captures the closing days of that campaign
and assesses what happened and why.